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Price is right during Commissary Sweep

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Dylan Nuckolls
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany --  Four Airmen and their families crunched numbers and solved riddles in a race against time during the 2013 annual Commissary Sweep Nov. 18 at the base Commissary.

The Spangdahlem Spouses and Enlisted Members Club sponsored the free event for participants provided with funds raised from the Spring Bazaar and base thrift store.

"To me, the event is successful the minute they come out and participate," said Tech. Sgt. Jaime Barajas, section chief of 52nd Component Maintenance Squadron and event coordinator. "It's all about giving back to the community. It could be a dollar, five dollars or whatever; we're giving it back to our base."

The Commissary Sweep pitted four families against each other. Each team received a specific amount of money to spend within a 25-minute window. Those with a basket of products with a total closest to their limit without exceeding it won the contest.

As well as rushing to find the best price, competitors solved riddles spoken over the store intercom by retrieving items bearing the answer. Failure to include the riddle's items meant a 50 cent deduction from a team's limit.

By a margin of $5.27, Senior Airman Sean Capehart, an aircraft structural maintainer of 52nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron, and his wife Kelli won the competition. The Capeharts took home a $100 commissary gift card as well as all the items they collected in the spree.

Additionally, the other teams did not go home empty-handed, receiving the items they collected in the spree as well as commissary gift cards ranging from $25 to $75.

"I appreciate the opportunity to do this," Airman Capehart said. "The SSEMC did a great job."